Best known as a corporate raider for his runs at Gulf Oil, Unocal, Pioneer and others in the 1980s, in recent years T. Boone Pickens has focused on managing Dallas-based hedge funds and pushing his Pickens Plan to boost adoption of wind, solar, and especially natural gas. Plunging natural gas prices shelved a plan to build the world's largest wind farm in Texas. Instead he's pushing for a future of

natural gas-powered vehicles. He got his start at Phillips Petroleum, then founded Mesa Petroleum in 1956. He led the Swift Boat attacks against John Kerry in 2004. In 2006 he donated $165 million to athletics program at alma mater Oklahoma State University. In 2008 he donated $100 million more to OSU academics. Divorcing from fourth wife Madeleine, but pre-nup will protect his assets.

Many oil men continue to believe the myth that the 1986 oil price collapse was engineered by the U.S., with Saudi assistance, in order to hurt the Soviet Union. This is particularly loved because it plays into the desire to embrace the idea that oil prices should be “high” and the 1986-2000 period of $25 oil was an aberration. This obviously read »

This past Friday on CNBC, billionaire energy mogul T. Boone Pickens predicted that oil prices would be near $80 by the fourth quarter of this year. His oil prediction is based on the thesis that U.S. energy companies will drastically cut back on production. That would decrease the supply of oil produced, eventually driving prices higher read »

The box that has housed the Wu-Tang Clan’s secret album for much of the past year recently arrived at MoMA PS1 in Queens, carried by a white-gloved porter and flanked by security guards–but it almost didn’t make it through customs. read »

Asia has a record number of billionaires on the new Forbes Billionaires List out yesterday, a sign of great prosperity. Yet many pillars of the Asian business landscape are now in their twilight years. Among them, Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, is 86.

What are the risks involved when great wealth and power pass from one generation to read »

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was threatened by supporters of the Islamic State, raising the issue of how social media can be used both to liberate the oppressed and to spread fear and messages of terror. read »